eousness. When these find the pearl of great price, righteousness before God through faith in Jesus Christ, it is so precious a thing to them that they, so to say, forget all else, and are ready if need be to sell all that they have only to possess this pearl. But the heart's love of the three men in the text was in their lands, oxen and family, and it appeared to them like giving up everything worth possessing to come to this supper. Nor was the first asked to give away his lands, or the second to forsake his oxen, or the third to be divorced from his wife; they were only asked to turn their attention to this supper and to account it more precious than the things they possessed, and this they declined to do. So long as the heart finds its treasure, its heaven in something of this earth, it, is filled already and will give no heed to the invitation of the Gospel. The world and that which is in the world is all the love of an earthly-minded heart; it lives for that which is in the world, and such a heart it would indeed cost its all to give heed to the Lord's invitation, because first the love of the world must be put away out of the heart before it can taste of this supper. If any of you are thus minded, I beg you to consider that the time is coming when you will be called away from this earth, when you must depart from your treasure, and what then? Verily, then the word will apply to you: I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." If in the time of your invitation you decline, because your soul is filled with the husks of this world, you will hunger forever. Time slips by. To-day God calls you, to-day hear His voice.

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Say not: Now in the harvest; it is too busy a time to devote much attention to religion.' In the fall you will be busy seeding, and the coming winter you must attend to your stock and will want to visit your friends. Should not this very busy man, the farmer, be excusable for not giving much thought to religion? But why do you think that a man cannot be a good farmer and a good Christian at the same time? Is it not a fact that godliness makes a man more industrious and faithful in his earthly duties? If men are so wrapped up in their worldly affairs as to pay no attention to the Gospel invitation,

this is not an excuse for them, but it is a proof that their heart's treasure is in earthly things, and that they regard the earthly of vastly more importance than the heavenly. When they are asked to loose their hearts from earthly things they count the price too high, and God understands the language of their heart that they love money more than they love God.

You perhaps complain: If I only could loose my affections. from this earth, but the heart is a perverse thing; ever again it will forget heaven and draw me to the earth.' Yes, so the heart is; it is of the earth earthy, and no man can change his own heart. It will cleave unto earthly things until it is new-created by the Holy Ghost, and even then there remains a contest between the spirit and the flesh so long as man lives.

Must men not be excused for not coming to this supper, since man has no ability to come? Nay, the plea of inability will by no means screen us. The Lord does not excuse the three men in our text, He is angry at their declining. By our own reason and strength we can indeed nevermore come to Jesus Christ, but where does the Lord say that we are to come by our own ability? He says: "Come," but not with one syllable does He say that we must come by our own strength. When the Lord called into the sepulchre of Lazarus: "Lazarus, come forth," the meaning was not that Lazarus was able to come forth, or must do it by his own strength; for what powers could a dead man have? Nevertheless Lazarus did come forth by the power of Christ's word. In you there is no ability to come, but the Lord wants you to come and He bids you come, not because you are able, but because He calls you, as Lazarus came forth, not because he was able, but because the Lord called him. By His Word the Lord draws you, and if you decline, that is something more than inability; it is refusing, it is stubbornness.

O consider! though to you this supper is free, it cost the Lord a high price. When He came to those who had long been invited they received Him not, but thrust Him out of their city and raised Him on the cross. Yet He did not take His salvation away from the earth, He rather said: 'If these will not come, go and bring in others.' So the invitation went forth to

the Gentiles and is come to you. Life and immortality is brought to light through Jesus Christ and unto you is His calling when He says: "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." Is. 55, 3. Will you not accept His invitation? Will you oblige Him to relinquish you and to go on to the next man? The Father wants His house filled and He asks you to occupy a place in it. Refuse Him not; for if you do He will find another who will come. Pride not yourself in being virtuous and refined. I tell you, Jesus Christ can go and take a savage and make him a better and nobler man than you ever were. Whether you are noble or ignoble, to-day the Lord calls upon you and says: Come to my supper; for all things are ready, and yet there is room.

And now, my friends, what shall I report to Him that sent me?" So that servant came, and showed his lord these things." The Housefather wants a report from His servants, and what report shall I give, when on that great day He will say: 'I sent thee to a people in the Valley of Virginia to invite them to my supper, and was it done?' This much I can say: 'Lord, it was done, in much weakness, but as best I could.' shall I report if He says: Where are those people? come, or did they beg to be excused?'

But what

Did they

God grant that we may stand before the throne of the Lamb

a goodly company. AMEN.

III. SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

TEXT: Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of thein, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman, having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.—Luke 15, 1–10.

In the 51st Psalm David prays: " Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." David uttered this petition with reference to his having fallen away from God into adultery and murder, but in this prayer David does not only mean that God should cleanse his conscience from those grievous sins which he had committed, he prays for a clean heart in general; a heart not only clean from sin, sinful desires and unclean lustings, but also clean from errors; a heart which would entertain no false notions concerning the being and the will of God; for he adds: “ And renew a right spirit within me." David desired a heart controlled by that Spirit who teaches the true and saving knowledge of God and His will, and who, through this knowledge, creates in the heart a trust and hope which, based on an immovable foundation, cannot fail or deceive.

How indispensably necessary it is for the true comfort of the soul that the heart has the true knowledge of God and His will and is clean from erroneous opinions and a false trust, this we clearly see from the Lord's words in His prayer for His disciples saying: "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." John 17, 3. For the possession of eternal life the true knowledge of God and the Savior whom He has sent is indispensably necessary. Without it no man can have eternal life abiding in him. Without the true knowledge of God and His Savior the Word of the cross will always remain either a stumbling-block or foolishness to men. Why are the servants of sin so secure in their impenitence and wickedness? Because they know not the wrath of God against sin; for if they did know it they would dread to excite the vengeance of the Almighty against themselves. Why do the self-righteous depend on their own piety and good works for righteousness? Because they know not the righteousness of God; for if they did know it, they would see and know that their works in the law, being nothing but miserable patchwork, must be rejected before Him. Why do so many despair of being saved? Because they know not the grace of God and the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ; for if they knew it, they would trust the love of God, and would find rest in the compassion of Christ. The man who has not the true knowledge of God and His plan of salvation can not have saving faith nor the true fear and love of God, and hence can not possess eternal life.

This is a truth which Dr. Luther experienced abundantly in his younger years and he often writes about it. So he for instance says: "We must not regard Christ a judge as the pope pictured Christ to us. They think that Christ sits on high only to judge and to condemn. These were my thoughts in popery, and they were also your thoughts, as you will not deny. This was the object of our good works in all cloisters and orders to reconcile this judge. So the Gospel was entirely hid and lost to us, and we came to be heartily at enmity with Christ, and every body fled from Him." Because he had been raised in